Location-aware services

ABSTRACT

In some embodiments, a technique for providing location-based functionality comprises providing functionality, wherein the functionality uses information provided by a location-aware device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 60/501,691 entitled LOCATION-BASED SERVICES, filed Sep. 9, 2003,which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the areas of computersoftware and portable electronics, more specifically to the area oflocation-aware devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Technology for determining location has become small and inexpensive,facilitating the creation of location-aware devices. However, currentlocation-aware devices provide limited functions.

It would be useful to have increased functionality for location-awaredevices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the followingdetailed description and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an illustrative diagram of a system for performinglocation-based services according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for obtaining location informationfrom one or more location-aware peer devices according to someembodiments.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method for displaying location-awarefriends according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method for responding to a request toprovide the locations of one or more friends.

FIG. 5 is an illustrative diagram of a user interface for displaying thelocation of friends according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method for recording and displaying thelocation of communications by a mobile device.

FIG. 7 is an illustrative diagram of a user interface for displaying thelocation of communications by a mobile device according to someembodiments.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method for locating potential assistantsmatching one or more specified criteria according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is an illustrative diagram of a user interface for displaying thelocation of potential assistants according to some embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a method for presenting a three-dimensionalmap with integrated location information according to some embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a method for accurately displayinglocations on a distorted display according to some embodiments.

FIG. 12 is an illustrative diagram of a user interface for displaying adistorted map according to some embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a method for detecting nearby devicesand/or objects from a mobile location-aware device according someembodiments.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of a method for varying functionality based onlocation according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as aprocess, an apparatus, a system, a composition of matter, a computerreadable medium such as a computer readable storage medium or a computernetwork wherein program instructions are sent over optical or electroniccommunication links. In this specification, these implementations, orany other form that the invention may take, may be referred to astechniques. In general, the order of the steps of disclosed processesmay be altered within the scope of the invention.

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the invention isprovided below along with accompanying figures that illustrate theprinciples of the invention. The invention is described in connectionwith such embodiments, but the invention is not limited to anyembodiment. The scope of the invention is limited only by the claims andthe invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications andequivalents. Numerous specific details are set forth in the followingdescription in order to provide a thorough understanding of theinvention. These details are provided for the purpose of example and theinvention may be practiced according to the claims without some or allof these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technicalmaterial that is known in the technical fields related to the inventionhas not been described in detail so that the invention is notunnecessarily obscured.

FIG. 1 is an illustrative diagram of a system for performinglocation-based services according to some embodiments. In this example,hardware capable of sensing a location or receiving location information101 may be connected to a processor capable of executing instructions toperform location-based services 102. Examples of hardware capable ofsensing a location include a GPS receiver, and one or moreaccelerometers or gyroscopes. An example of hardware capable ofreceiving location information is an interface capable of connecting toa network over which location information may be transmitted, forexample a wireless network such as 802.11, GPRS or Bluetooth.

A data store 103 is shown to be connected to the processor 102. A datastore may be any medium capable of storing data, for example read-onlymemory, magnetic or optical storage, non-volatile electronic memory suchas flash memory, or battery-powered electronic memory such as DRAM.

Programmatic instructions for performing location-based services 104 maybe made available to the processor 102. Examples of media in whichprogrammatic instructions for performing location-based services may becontained include read-only memory, magnetic or optical storage, andrandom-access memory such as DRAM or flash memory.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for obtaining location informationfrom one or more location-aware peer devices according to someembodiments. A “location-aware device” or “LAD” refers herein to anydevice that can be aware of its location, either directly or indirectly.Examples of LADs include a personal digital assistant which has thecapability to communicate with Global Positioning System (GPS)satellites (for example, an HP iPaq 5555 with a Pharos PF022 card, aHandspring Visor with a Magellan GPS Companion module, or a Garmin iQue3600), an automotive navigation unit such as a Siemens IDIS or TetraStar(as used in BMW and Mercedes automobiles), and a cellular telephonecapable of receiving location information. Examples of ways in which aLAD can be made aware of its location include satellite-based servicessuch as GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes, local transmissions from fixedor mobile locations, manual input by a user, and receiving locationinformation from another LAD. In some embodiments, a LAD may makelocation information programmatically available to software running onit, for example via the National Marine Electronics Association standardNMEA-0183.

In this example, location information may be requested (201). Forexample, a request may be transmitted (for example using a broadcast)over a communications network such as a wireless network. Examples ofwireless networks include 802.11 and Bluetooth. In some embodiments, arequest may be implicit. One example of an implicit request is notmaking a request. Another example of an implicit request is anothercommunication, for example a broadcast indicating the presence of adevice, which may be taken as an implicit request for locationinformation. One or more location reports may be received from locallocation-aware devices (202). A location report refers herein to acommunication containing a location of the device sending the report,for example in latitude and longitude. In some embodiments, a reportingdevice may have measured its own location, for example usinglocation-sensing hardware such as a GPS receiver. In some embodiments, areporting device may have determined its location from location reportsreceived from other entities. In some embodiments, a device providing areport may be a peer of a requesting device, for example a mobile devicesuch as a PDA, cellular phone or automotive navigational system. Anexample of receiving one or more location reports is to receive themover a network medium through which a request was transmitted, forexample a wireless network such as Bluetooth or 802.11, or using a modeof transmission specified in a request.

It may be determined whether a location report has been received (203).If a location report has not been received (203), then other techniquesare used in this example (204). Examples of other techniques includeinvalidating any location awareness until a location can be ascertained,using the last known location, and extrapolating from the last knownlocation.

If a location report has been received (203), then one or morepotentially erroneous location reports are optionally disregarded insome embodiments (205). An example of disregarding a location report isto not include the location report in a location calculation. An exampleof disregarding potentially erroneous location reports is to disregardreports containing locations that are substantially different thanaverage. In one example of disregarding locations substantiallydifferent than average, one or more location reports that contain alocation more than a threshold distance from the average reportedlocation, for example a hundred meters, may be disregarded. In someembodiments, one or more location reports containing locations more thana threshold distance from the average reported location may bedisregarded when at least a threshold number of reports, for exampletwo, are received containing distances within the threshold distancefrom the average. In another example of disregarding locationssubstantially different than average, one or more reports that arefurthest from the average may be disregarded based on a fixed orvariable ratio, such as ignoring the 10% of reports furthest from theaverage location, or any report varying from the average by more than10%. In another example of disregarding locations substantiallydifferent than average, one or more reports that are furthest from theaverage may be disregarded based on a statistical measure such asdisregarding any locations greater than some threshold number ofstandard deviations (for example two) from average. In some embodiments,location(s) substantially different than average may be disregarded whenmore than a threshold number of location reports have been received, forexample three. In some embodiments, disregarding locations substantiallydifferent than average may be required to eliminate at least apredetermined number of reports, for example one. In some embodiments,one or more X and/or Y coordinates within location reports may beseparately disregarded, for example an X or Y coordinate substantiallydifferent than average. Any technique discussed above for disregardingreports substantially different than average may be applied separatelyto X and Y coordinates.

Location reports may be combined to estimate the current location (206).One example of combining location reports is to average location reportsreceived from location-aware devices. In some embodiments, averagingreports may include calculating an arithmetic mean. In some embodiments,averaging reports may include calculating a median. In some embodiments,averaging reports may include calculating a mode. In some embodiments,an average may be weighted by the observed signal strength from eachreporting device. Another example of combining location reports is touse both a received location report and the direction from which thelocation report signal arrived. A direction from which a location reportsignal originates may, for example, be obtained from a Doppler directionfinder, or from an effectively rotating directional beacon transmissionsuch as is used on aircraft VOR navigational systems, which establishesa radial direction from a transmitter to a receiver. In someembodiments, directions from sources of location reports may be used totriangulate. In one example of triangulation, if radial directions arereceived from two transmitters, with one transmitter due east and theother due north, then a current location is derived in this example atthe latitude of the due east transmitter, and the longitude of the duenorth transmitter. In another example of triangulation, if radialdirections are received from two transmitters of location reports, andthe radial directions are not collinear with a receiver, then a uniquelocation for the receiver may be derived using trigonometric methodswell known to those skilled in the art. In another example oftriangulation, radial directions to three or more transmitters may beacquired, and a receiver location may be estimated when all the radialsdo not align at a single point In some embodiments, a least squareserror estimate of the receiver's position may be derived based ontriangulation relative to three or more radials to known or specifiedlocations. In this example, an error metric in an estimate may forexample be defined to be the sum of the squares of the distances fromthe receiver's estimated location to the radial lines.

In some embodiments, X and Y coordinates, such as a latitude andlongitude, may be calculated separately from locations reported bylocally accessible LADs. In one example of separately calculating X andY coordinates, average X and Y coordinates may be calculated from the Xand Y coordinates contained within location reports.

In some embodiments, a previous location, such as the last knownlocation, may be taken into consideration when evaluating a location ina location report, for example by disregarding reports that are far fromthe last known location. For example, a new location reading may beanalyzed to calculate the distance (for example, the number of miles ordegrees) between it and a previous location. If this distance is greaterthan a threshold, then the location in the location report may bedisregarded. In some embodiments, the threshold may be a constant, forexample 600 miles. In some embodiments, the amount of time since theprevious location was calculated may be taken into account indetermining a threshold, for example by multiplying a constant thresholdsuch as 600 miles by the amount of time (for example the number ofhours) since the previous location was calculated. In some embodiments,a combination of elapsed time and a distance threshold may be expressedas a speed threshold, for example 600 miles per hour in the exampleabove. In some embodiments, a time threshold may be combined with adistance threshold, including a combination of elapsed time and distancethreshold, for example by applying the distance threshold only forlocation reports received less than a threshold period of time, such asfive hours, since the last location report. In some embodiments, whenmultiple consistent location reports beyond a threshold are received,the location may be accepted.

When one or more location reports have been combined and/or disregarded(205), the location is updated in this example (206).

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a method for displaying location-awarefriends according to some embodiments. In this example, a map is to bedisplayed (301), for example because a user has changed location, or haselected to view a map of a particular area, or has requested to view amap displaying the location of one or more friends. An example of asituation in which a map showing friends could be displayed is for auser to select a UI element labeled “My friends,” which could translateinto a request to display, on the map, all people close to the user'spresent location (for example, within ten miles) who had previously beenclassified as friends. Information associated with set of location-aware“friends” may be retrieved (302). A “friend” refers herein to any personthat has been classified as an entity to monitor, who has givenpermission for such monitoring, either implicitly or explicitly. In someembodiments, a friend may be classified as such by explicitclassification by the user, proactively or in response to a request bythe friend. In some embodiments, a friend may be classified as such byautomatic techniques including identification of associates in theuser's address book, calendar, instant messaging “buddy list,” or otheruser data. In some embodiments, a friend may give implicit monitoringpermission to a watcher by possessing data associating the friend withthe watcher, for example by having the watcher in his or her addressbook, calendar, instant messaging “buddy list” or other user data. Oneexample of retrieving a set of friends is to retrieve friend data fromstorage such as a file or database. Another example of retrieving a setof friends is to have friend data ready to access, for example inmemory. In some embodiments, friends may be categorized into groups, andan example of retrieving a set of friends is to retrieve a set offriends belonging to a particular group, such as family or coworkers.

When no more friends remain to be evaluated (303), generation of thedisplayable list of friends is complete in this example (304). Oneexample of an action to take when the list is complete is to display thelocation of friends. Another example of an action to take when the listis complete is to provide the list through a programmatic interface. Ifanother friend remains to be evaluated (303), then his or her locationmay be ascertained (305).

In some embodiments, the locations of a plurality of friends may beascertained individually. In some embodiments, the locations of aplurality of friends may be ascertained simultaneously.

One example of ascertaining the location of a friend is to query aserver, as discussed in conjunction with FIG. 4. Another example ofascertaining the location of a friend is to obtain the location from apeer, for example via a peer-to-peer protocol. Another example ofascertaining the location of a friend is to receive a direct locationtransmission from the friend. In an example of a direct locationtransmission from a friend, a cellular telephone may receive locationinformation directly from another cellular telephone, for example atelephone with whom a connection such as a phone call is established.Such transmission may, for example, be effected by encoding locationinformation along with digitized voice data.

It may be determined whether the friend is displayable (306). In someembodiments, determining whether the friend is displayable may includedetermining whether the friend's location is within the boundaries of amap. In some embodiments, for example when a map showing the location(s)of one or more friends has been requested, determining whether a friendis displayable may include setting or expanding boundaries of a map toinclude the location of the friend.

If the friend being evaluated is not displayable (306), then the nextfriend is evaluated in this example (303). If the friend being evaluatedis displayable, for example because the friend is in a displayable areaor a request has been made to display the location of the friend (306),then the friend is added to a displayable list in this example (307).One example of adding a friend to a displayable list is to display thefriend on a map. Another example of adding a friend to a displayablelist is to add information about the friend, such as the identity andlocation of the friend, to a list of items to be displayed later, forexample when the map is rendered. The next friend may be evaluated(303).

In some embodiments, a friend may be a child equipped with a trackingdevice. An example of a tracking device is a device incorporating aRadio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag such as an Alien Technology2450 MHz Long Range Backscatter RFID System. In some embodiments, atracking device may be incorporated into a friend's personal effectssuch as his or her shoes. In some embodiments, a tracking device may berented, for example at a large public venue such as Disneyland. At thetime the tracking device is rented, a key for a cipher such as asymmetric cipher (for example, DES, AES or Blowfish) may be assigned tothe tracking device and shared between the tracking device and anapproved tracker's LAD, such as a parent's LAD. When a friend, forexample a child, passes a gateway or other place where a sensor has beeninstalled, a tracking device associated with the friend may be read andthe friend's location may be relayed to an approved tracker's LAD orother map-aware terminal, for example by relaying the location from thereader to a server, which can construct an encrypted message containingan identifier associated with the tracking device and the location atwhich it was sensed. A message containing a location can be broadcastover a wireless network such as 802.11 by access points throughout thefacility, at one of which the user's LAD may receive it. In someembodiments, a LAD in this tracking mode can receive messages andattempt to decrypt them using its assigned key. Any such messages thatresult, after decryption, in a valid identifier and location may bedisplayed on a map.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a method for responding to a request toprovide the locations of one or more friends. In this example, a requestfor the location of one or more targets represented as friends isreceived (401). An example of a request for more than one target is acommunication of a form such as <REQUEST_ALL_FRIENDS, userID, latitude,longitude, radius>, where REQUEST_ALL_FRIENDS is the command to returnthe locations of nearby friends, userID is the user ID of the user whosefriends are being sought, latitude and longitude are the coordinates ofthe center of the area in which location information for friends isrequested, and radius is the radius around that center in which thesearch should be conducted. An example of a request for the location ofa single target is a communication of a form such as <REQUEST_FRIEND,friendID>, where REQUEST_FRIEND is an identifier for the command tolocate a particular friend and friendID is an identifier associated withthat friend.

In some embodiments, it may be determined whether the specifiedtarget(s) are actually friends of the requestor (402). An example ofdetermining whether a target is a friend of a requestor is to query adatabase containing friend associations to determine whether a recordexists associating the requestor and the target. If the target is not afriend of the requestor (403), then the location of the target is nottransmitted in this example (404). One example of not transmitting thelocation of a target is to not transmit the location of any targets.Another example of not transmitting the location of a target is to omita target that is not a friend from a transmitted response containing thelocations of one or more other targets that are friends of therequestor.

If the target(s) are friend(s) of the requestor (403), then the locationof one or more friends may be transmitted to the requester (405). Anexample of a response containing the locations of one or more friends isa response containing a list of entries, for example in the form<REPORT_LOCATION, friendID, latitude, longitude>, where REPORT_LOCATIONis an identifier for the type of data (a location report), friendID isthe unique identifier for a friend and latitude and longitude are thelocation of that friend. An example of a response containing thelocation of a single friend is a response containing a single entry, forexample in the form <REPORT_LOCATION, friendID, latitude, longitude> aspreviously described.

In some embodiments, the location of a friend provided in a response mayhave been received from a LAD associated with the friend. For example, alocation may be received and stored, then retrieved when a request forthe location is fulfilled. An example of receiving a location from a LADis to receive a message in a form such as <UPDATE_LOCATION, userID,latitude, longitude>, where UPDATE_LOCATION is an identifier for thecommand to update a user's location, userID is an identifier associatedwith the user, and latitude and longitude represent the user's currentposition. In some embodiments, messages may include proof of theidentity of the transmitter, such as a cryptographic signature.

FIG. 5 is an illustrative diagram of a user interface for displaying thelocation of friends according to some embodiments. An example of asituation in which this user interface could be displayed is when a mapincluding friends has been prepared, for example as discussed inconjunction with 306 of FIG. 3. In this example, a LAD is displaying amap 501 showing the location of a mobile communications device 510 andthe location of friends 507, 508, 509, which may for example have beenascertained as discussed in conjunction with 305 of FIG. 3. In thisexample, friends 507, 508, 509 are labeled “child,” “wife” and “boss”respectively, for example because they have been extracted from anelectronic address book in which they were stored using these names. Inthis example, additional information associated with friends 507, 508,509 may be displayed by selecting a button 504, and a specific group offriends may be selected for display, as discussed in conjunction with302 of FIG. 6, by selecting a button 505. In this example, the map 501may be zoomed in or out using buttons 502, 503.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method for recording and displaying thelocation of communications by a mobile device. In this example, acommunication event occurs on a mobile communications device (601). Anexample of a communication event is a telephone call being placed orreceived. Another example of a communication event is a text messagesuch as an SMS message being sent or received. Another example of acommunication event is an email being sent, received or read. An exampleof a mobile communications device is a telephony-capable ormessaging-capable LAD. Another example of a mobile communications deviceis a telephony-capable or messaging-capable device, such as a cellularphone or a portable computer, that is capable of transmittingcommunication event details to a LAD, for example through a wirelessnetwork such as Bluetooth. Another example of a mobile communicationsdevice is a telephony-capable or messaging-capable device, such as acellular telephone or portable computer, that is capable of receiving acurrent location from a LAD, for example via a point-to-point protocolsuch as Bluetooth or as described in conjunction with FIG. 2.

The current location is obtained (602). An example of obtaining thecurrent location is to get the location from location-sensing hardware.Another example of obtaining the current location is to retrieve thecurrent location from storage such as a memory. Another example ofobtaining the current location is to receive the current location from aLAD. Event details may be associated with the current location andrecorded (604). An example of recording event details and an associatedlocation is to store an indication of the event (which may, for example,include the time, originator, corresponding party identifier such as atelephone number or email address, duration of call, and/or size ofmessage) associated with the current location. In some embodiments,event details and associated location may be stored in a memory such asa magnetic or optical memory, or an electronic memory such as a flashmemory.

Communication event details with associated location information may beretrieved and displayed (605). One example of displaying event detailswith associated location information is to display them whencommunication is completed. Another example of displaying event detailswith associated location information is to display them when a userissues a location-based query. An example of a location-based query isfor a user who is normally based in San Francisco but travels to Chicagoto request a record of calls made during one or more previous trips toChicago. Another example of displaying event details with associatedlocation information is to display them when a user issues a query thatwould result in displaying event details, for example when a user viewsa list of recent calls, or requests a report showing calls made within acertain period of time such as a month. In some embodiments, display mayoccur on the device that recorded the event details with associatedlocation information. In some embodiments, event details with associatedlocation information may be transmitted to another device, such as apersonal computer, which may process queries and/or display eventdetails with associated location information.

FIG. 7 is an illustrative diagram of a user interface for displaying thelocation of communications by a mobile device according to someembodiments. An example of a situation in which this user interfacecould be displayed is when a user has elected to view a log ofcommunications events, for example a call log on a mobile telephonydevice. In this example, a LAD is displaying a map 701 showing thelocation of a mobile communications device 706 at the time of acommunication event such as a call or receipt of an electronic message.The location of the mobile device may, for example, have been recordedas discussed in conjunction with FIG. 6. In this example, the locationof a correspondent is also available, for example because it has beentransmitted during a cellular phone call as discussed in conjunctionwith 305 of FIG. 3. In this example, the correspondent location may bedisplayed by selecting button 704, and a map displaying both the userand the correspondent's location at the time of the communication eventmay be displayed by selecting a button 705. In this example, the map 701may be zoomed in or out using buttons 702, 703.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method for locating potential assistantsmatching one or more specified criteria according to some embodiments.In this example, assistants are to be displayed (801), for examplebecause a user has requested potential assistants matching one or morecriteria. An assistant refers herein to a person fitting one or morefunctional criteria. Examples of assistants include police officers,doctors, firefighters, guides, open cashiers, drivers of availabletaxis, and technicians. In some embodiments, assistants may includepotential social companions, for example potentially compatible membersof a dating service. An example of a functional criterion is a categoryof assistant, for example a doctor, policeman, taxicab driver, etc.

A location-based query for assistants matching criteria may be performed(802). An example of a location-based query is to request one or moreassistants in a particular category (such as a doctor) nearest thecurrent location of a user, or another location specified by a user, ora location contained within a map area to be displayed. Another exampleof a location-based query is to request one or more assistants within acertain region, for example a city, a map area, a neighborhood or aregion defined as being within a threshold distance of a location suchas the current location of a user or another location specified by auser. Another example of a location-based query is to match nearbydating service members considered potentially compatible based onquestionnaires that they had filled out. In this example, if thecalculated compatibility is above a certain threshold, the users areshown each other's locations in this example, or one or more of the pairare shown the profile of the other person in this example, optionallyincluding a picture, and given the option to release their locationinformation to that other person.

In some embodiments, a query may be performed through a server. Anexample of performing a query through a server is for LADs to reporttheir identities and locations to a server, for example as discussed inconjunction with 305 of FIG. 3. When a query is received by a server,the server matches specified criteria against the target location andreturns zero or more matching assistants in this example.

In some embodiments, a query may be performed peer-to-peer using apeer-to-peer protocol. An example of a peer-to-peer protocol is tobroadcast a query over a network, for example a wireless network such as802.11 or Bluetooth. A query may contain matching criteria, andoptionally a specified area in which an assistant is requested, such asone mile from the requestor's current location. A peer-to-peer querymay, for example, be propagated to peers within communications range,along with the initiating LAD's location, one or more matching criteriafor the user(s) being sought, a search radius around that location andthe propagation path (i.e. sequence of peer-to-peer hops) used to reachthe peer. If a receiving peer had already received the message from adifferent source, or was not within the specified search area, itignores the message in this example. Otherwise, a receiving peer maybroadcast the message to its peers within range, adding its own addressto an optional propagation path, and checking to see if its associateduser fits the criteria. If its associated user fits the criteria, itoptionally offers the option to its user to make him or her visible tothe requester in this example. If this request was approved or approvalwas not required, then its user's location and/or data may betransmitted to the original requestor, for example by transmitting alonga propagation path included in the request.

Matching assistants may be collected. If there are no more assistants(803), then collection is complete in this example (805). An example ofan action to take when collection is complete is to display all matchingassistants, for example on a map. Another example of an action to takewhen collection is complete is to provide an assistant list through aprogrammatic interface.

If there are more assistants (803), then the next assistant is added toan assistant list. An example of adding an assistant to an assistantlist is to display the assistant, for example on a map. Another exampleof adding an assistant to an assistant list is to add informationassociated with the assistant, such as name, location andqualifications, to a list of displayable items. Another example ofadding an assistant to an assistant list is to add information about theassistant, such as name, location and qualifications, to a separate listof assistants, which may be displayed later. The next assistant may beprocessed (803). In some embodiments, obtaining and processing a nextassistant (803) may be event-driven, for example by calling a functionthat processes an assistant when a message is received containing anotification that an assistant matching specified criteria is within aspecified area.

FIG. 9 is an illustrative diagram of a user interface for displaying thelocation of potential assistants according to some embodiments. Anexample of a situation in which this user interface could be displayedis when a map including assistants has been prepared, for example asdiscussed in conjunction with 805 of FIG. 8. In this example, a LAD isdisplaying a map 901 showing the location of a mobile communicationsdevice 910 and the location of potential assistants 907, 908, 909, whichmay for example have been ascertained as discussed in conjunction with802 of FIG. 8. In this example, potential assistants 907, 908, 909 aretaxicab drivers, for example because the user has selected a functionalcriterion of taxicab drivers with available cabs, as discussed inconjunction with 802 of FIG. 8. In this example, additional informationassociated with potential assistants 907, 908, 909 may be displayed byselecting a button 904, and a selection criterion may be changed byselecting a button 905. In this example, the map 901 may be zoomed in orout using buttons 902, 903.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a method for presenting a three-dimensionalmap with integrated location information according to some embodiments.In this example, a three-dimensional view is to be displayed (1001). Oneexample of a reason a three-dimensional view may be displayed is becausea user has selected a three-dimensional viewing option. Another exampleof a reason a three-dimensional view may be displayed is because a LADhas entered a region in which contour data is available. Contour data isobtained around a specified location (1002). One example of a specifiedlocation is the current location of the LAD. Another example of aspecified location is a location specified by a user. Contour data maybe any three-dimensional map data. One example of contour data is athree dimensional object encoded in a renderable format, such as a listof vertices with groupings into polygons that may for example beinterpretable by polygon building primitives in a 3-D graphical modelingor rendering system, such as a glVertex* primitive to define a vertexand glBegin and glEnd primitives to define polygons in OpenGL. Detailsof graphical rendering systems are well known to those skilled in theart. OpenGL is an example of a graphical rendering system, and detailsof using OpenGL may be obtained from Shreiner, Woo, Neider, Davis andthe OpenGL Architecture Review Board, “OpenGL Programming Guide (FourthEdition),” ISBN 0321173481, which is incorporated herein by referencefor all purposes. Another example of contour data is data in a formatthat may be translated into a renderable format, for example a polygonattribute table, ArcView Shape data, Digital Elevation Model data, orother formats known to those skilled in the art. Another example ofcontour data is a two-dimensional image of a map containingthree-dimensional information, such as a topographical map, which may beconverted to a three-dimensional format such as Digital Elevation Model,for example by using a conversion tool such as R2V, available from AbleSoftware.

If contour data is not available for the specified location (1003), thenthree-dimensional display is not provided in this example (1004). Ifcontour data is available for the specified location (1003), then one ormore locations of interest are correlated with the contour data in thisexample (1005). An example of a location of interest is the specifiedlocation, for example the current location of the LAD. Another exampleof a location of interest is a location of a landmark, such as anairport, restaurant, gas station, etc. Another example of a location ofinterest is the location of a friend or associate, for example a friendor associate with a LAD that is capable of transmitting its location.Another example of a location of interest is a location specific to theuser of a LAD, for example a location corresponding to an address in anelectronic address book or a previously visited location. An example ofcorrelating a location of interest with contour data is to insert animage corresponding to a particular location into the contour data atcoordinates corresponding to the physical location of the location ofinterest. Another example of correlating a location of interest withcontour data is to insert a partially transparent image corresponding toa particular location into the contour data at coordinates correspondingto the physical location of the location of interest. Another example ofcorrelating a location of interest with contour data is to insert a setof elevated imagery, such as an image of a car or boat, elevated abovethe contour, at the coordinates corresponding to the physical locationof the location of interest. Elevated imagery may for example depict a3-D icon with an appropriate perspective view of an object, and mayoptionally cast a shadow on the underlying contour. In some embodiments,an image or icon may be scaled in proportion to scaling of an underlyingmap or contour. In some embodiments, an image or icon may remain fixedin size while the map or contour scale is changed. In some embodiments,an image or icon may be scaled to different sizes without changing thescaling of the map or contour. In some embodiments, a location ofinterest may be correlated with contour data as a map associated withthe contour data is being generated or displayed. In such embodiments,correlating a location of interest with contour data may includeretaining information about the location so it may be integrated with orsuperimposed on a rendered image associated with the contour data.

One or more scenes of the contour data with integrated location(s) ofinterest may be provided from one or more perspectives (1006). Anexample of providing a scene is to render an image corresponding to aprojection of contour data with integrated point(s) of interest from aperspective, for example a default perspective, or the last perspectiveused to view a 3-D scene. In some embodiments, rendering of contour datamay be implemented using graphics techniques such as those described inFoley, Van Dam, Feiner and Hughes, “Computer Graphics: Principles andPractice, Second Edition” (ISBN 0-201-12110-7) which is incorporatedherein by reference for all purposes. In some embodiments, contour datamay be rendered using readily available graphical rendering softwaresuch as Direct3D or OpenGL.

In some embodiments, perspective may be modified, for example rotated,moved and/or zoomed in and out. In some embodiments, a user may modifyperspective. An example of controls with which a user could modifyperspective is by moving a cursor from left to right (rotating theviewpoint around a point, for example the user's current location,horizontally while keeping the vertical orientation constant), or up anddown (rotating the viewpoint around a point, for example the user'scurrent location, vertically while keeping the horizontal orientationconstant), or both left/right and up/down simultaneously (rotating theviewpoint around a point, for example the user's current location, bothhorizontally and vertically). In embodiments using OpenGL, perspectivemay for example be altered using glTranslatef and glRotatef primitives.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a method for accurately displayinglocations on a distorted display according to some embodiments. In thisexample, a distorted map is to be displayed (1101). An example of asituation in which a distorted map is to be displayed is when a userselects an option to display a distorted map, such as a “local map,” forexample because a local map was available, a LAD prompted the userwhether the user wanted to see a local map, and the user answered in theaffirmative. Another example of a situation in which a distorted map isto be displayed is when a LAD becomes aware of an available distortedmap for a specified location such as the current location, for examplebecause the LAD has been turned on in, or moved into, a region for whicha distorted local map is available, or because a location other than thecurrent location has been specified for which a distorted map isavailable.

A distorted map may be gotten (1102). One example of getting a distortedmap is to retrieve it from a memory in an LAD such as a magnetic,optical or electronic memory. Another example of getting a distorted mapis to receive it through a communications interface, for example througha network such as a wireless network, for example 802.11 of Bluetooth.For example, a user at a ski area could receive a trail map via an802.11 wireless network access point near the ticket booth. A “distortedmap” refers herein to any map that contains physical locations withoutspatially corresponding to physical locations in a regular manner. A“distorted map” as used herein includes a map image and associatedinformation specifying points or areas with defined spatialcorrespondences between map locations and physical locations. An exampleof a point defining a spatial correspondence between map location and aphysical location is a “tiepoint” that maps a point on a distorted mapimage to a physical location, for example by containing two sets ofcoordinates, corresponding to the map point and physical locationrespectively. In some embodiments, a distorted map may betwo-dimensional. In some embodiments, a distorted map may bethree-dimensional. An example of a distorted map is a map of a ski area,in which trails are rendered with an inconsistent scale, and/ormountains are “unwrapped” to show trails on multiple sides from a singleview.

One or more locations of interest may be correlated to the distorted map(1105). An example of a location of interest is a specified location,for example the current location of the LAD or another locationspecified by a user. Another example of a location of interest is alocation of a landmark, such as an airport, restaurant, gas station,etc. Another example of a location of interest is the location of afriend or associate, for example a friend or associate with a LAD thatis capable of transmitting its location. Another example of a locationof interest is a location specific to the user of an LAD, for example alocation corresponding to an address in an electronic address book or apreviously visited location. Another example of a location of interestis a time series of locations, for example locations at which a user hasskied during a day at a ski area. In some embodiments, a location ofinterest may be correlated to a distorted map using one or more controlpoints such as tiepoints, for example using “image registration” spatialtransformations such as those described in Gonzalez and Woods, “DigitalImage Processing” (ISBN 0-201-50803-6), p. 298-302, which isincorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

In an example in which a distorted map is associated with tiepoints thatprovide correlation between physical locations and coordinates on adistorted map image, each tiepoint may, for example, consist of an (x,y)coordinate denoting a physical location (for example, latitude andlongitude) and an (x′,y′) coordinate denoting display coordinates on adistorted map. A point of interest may be correlated to the distortedmap at a point on the display derived by interpolation of the displaycoordinates of nearby tiepoints. In one example of correlating a pointof interest, the X location at which a user's location should bedisplayed may be linearly interpolated from the X display coordinates ofthe two tiepoints whose locations are nearest the user on the X axis inthe negative and positive directions, and the Y location at which theuser's location should be displayed may be linearly interpolated fromthe Y display coordinates of the two tiepoints whose locations arenearest the user on the Y axis in the positive and negative directions.

In another example of correlating a point of interest, three tiepointsforming a triangle containing or near to the location of interest(x1,y1) . . . (x3,y3), with corresponding display coordinates (x1′, y1′). . . (x3′,y3′), may be selected from among the tiepoints. An example ofselecting three tiepoints is to select tiepoints near to the point ofinterest that specify a triangle containing the point of interest. Thedisplay coordinates (x′,y′) of the user's physical location (x,y) may becalculated relative to the tiepoints forming a nearby or enclosingtriangle. An example of calculating the display coordinates (x′,y′) isto evaluate (with appropriate values of t 1 . . . t6) the pair of affineequations:x′=t1x+t2y+t3y′=t4x+t5y+t6.

The three pairs of tiepoint coordinates that specify the selected nearbyor surrounding triangle can be substituted into the above two equations,creating six equations, with six unknowns (t1 . . . t6) all of which arelinear in t1 . . . t6. Using techniques of linear algebra readilyunderstood to those skilled in the art, the six linear equations withsix unknowns may be solved for t1 . . . t6.

In another example of correlating a point of interest, four tiepointsforming a quadrilateral containing physical coordinates associated withthe location of interest (x1,y1) . . . (x4,y4), with correspondingdisplay coordinates (x1′,y1′) . . . (x4′,y4′), may be selected fromamong the tiepoints. An example of selecting four tiepoints is to selecttiepoints whose physical coordinates are closest to the point ofinterest to the upper left, upper right, lower left and lower right. Insome embodiments, four tiepoints may be selected such that no three arecollinear. Display coordinates (x′,y′) corresponding to the user'sphysical location (x,y) may be calculated relative to tiepoints formingan enclosing quadrilateral. An example of calculating the displaycoordinates (x′,y′) is to evaluate the pair of bilinear equations:x′=c1x+c2y+c3xy+c4y′=c5x+c6y+c7xy+c8.

The four pairs of tiepoint coordinates can be used to solve for theeight coefficients c1 . . . c8, which can then be substituted into thesetwo equations to yield the location (x′,y′) at which the user's locationshould be displayed. Solving for the eight coefficients c1 . . . c8 isreadily understood to those skilled in the art. An example of solvingfor c1 . . . c8 is to express the tiepoints using a matrix such as

$\begin{bmatrix}x_{1}^{\prime} \\y_{1}^{\prime} \\x_{2}^{\prime} \\y_{2}^{\prime} \\x_{3}^{\prime} \\y_{3}^{\prime} \\x_{4}^{\prime} \\y_{4}^{\prime}\end{bmatrix} = {{\begin{bmatrix}x_{1} & y_{1} & {x_{1}y_{1}} & 1 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & x_{1} & y_{1} & {x_{1}y_{1}} & 1 \\x_{2} & y_{2} & {x_{2}y_{2}} & 1 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & x_{2} & y_{2} & {x_{2}y_{2}} & 1 \\x_{3} & y_{3} & {x_{3}y_{3}} & 1 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & x_{3} & y_{3} & {x_{3}y_{3}} & 1 \\x_{4} & y_{4} & {x_{4}y_{4}} & 1 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & x_{4} & y_{4} & {x_{4}y_{4}} & 1\end{bmatrix}\begin{bmatrix}c_{1} \\c_{2} \\c_{3} \\c_{4} \\c_{5} \\c_{6} \\c_{7} \\c_{8}\end{bmatrix}}.}$

In this example, which may be written as [X′Y′]=[M][C], [C]=[M]⁻¹[X′Y′].Solving for [C], and therefore for c1 . . . c8, may be performed usingcommon matrix operations readily understood by those skilled in the art.c1 . . . c8 may then be applied to the bilinear equations to solve for(x′,y′). In other examples of correlating a point of interest, more thanfour tiepoints may be used with higher-level polynomials.

A distorted map may be displayed with one or more correlated locationsof interest. An example of displaying a distorted map with a correlatedlocation of interest is to display the map, and overlay a representationof the point of interest, for example an icon and/or text, at or nearthe correlated location that was calculated for the point of interest.

FIG. 12 is an illustrative diagram of a user interface for displaying adistorted map according to some embodiments. An example of a situationin which this user interface could be displayed is when a distorted mapincluding correlated locations of interest has been prepared, forexample as discussed in conjunction with FIG. 11. In this example, a LADis displaying a distorted map 1201 showing the location of a mobilecommunications device 1209 and the location of locations of interest1207, 1208, 1210. In this example, the distorted map may have beendownloaded from a ski area, as discussed in conjunction with 1102 ofFIG. 11. In this example, the locations of interest 1207, 1208, 1210 arefriends, for example as discussed in conjunction with FIG. 3, and thedisplay coordinates of the friends have been correlated onto a distortedmap, for example as discussed in conjunction with 1105 of FIG. 11. Inthis example, additional information associated with friends 1207, 1208,1210 may be displayed by selecting a button 1204, and an undistorted mapsuch as the standard built-in map may be displayed by selecting a button1205. In this example, the map 1201 may be zoomed in or out usingbuttons 1202, 1203.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of a method for detecting nearby devicesand/or objects from a mobile location-aware device according someembodiments. In this example, an automatically identifiable device orobject is detected by a LAD (1301). An example of a LAD capable ofdetecting an automatically identifiable device or object is a LADintegrated with or connected to a sensor such as an RFID scanner or adigital imaging device connected to an image recognizer. An example of alocation-aware device integrated with or connected to a sensor is apolice car equipped with a location aware device (for example derivinglocation awareness from a GPS receiver) and a sensor. Examples ofdetecting an automatically identifiable device or object includereceiving RFID information and analyzing an image and determining thatan identifiable object is contained within the image. In someembodiments, detection may be performed in an uncontrolled environment.An uncontrolled environment refers herein to any environment in which anencounter with identifiable items is not predictable, such as a streetenvironment. A controlled environment refers herein to any environmentin which an encounter with identifiable items is predictable, such as alaboratory, factory, vehicle fleet yard, toll gate, parking lot orwarehouse.

A device identity may be extracted (1302). One example of extracting adevice identity is to determine identifying information such as aproduct and serial number from electronic product code information in anRFID tag. Another example of extracting a device identity is to extracta license plate number from a digital image of a car. In someembodiments, a license plate may contain an embedded transmitter such asan RFID tag that can transmit its identity, for example its licenseplate number. In some embodiments, a vehicle may contain an embeddedtransmitter such as an RFID tag that can transmit its identity, forexample its vehicle identification number. In some embodiments, anoptional watch list may be consulted (1303). A watch list may containitems of interest, including for example license plate numbers of stolencars or cars wanted in connection with a crime or criminal, identifiersassociated with missing persons or objects, and serial numbers ofobjects reported stolen. If the object being identified is present on awatch list (1304), then an alert is issued in this example (1305). Anexample of issuing an alert is to alert a user to the fact awatch-listed item has been detected, for example by displaying theidentity of the item, such as visually or audibly. Another example ofissuing an alert is to transmit an alert to a remote location such as aserver, for example over a network such as a wireless network, forexample GPRS or 802.11.

If the identified item is not on a watch list (1304), includingembodiments in which there is no watch list, then the encounter with theidentified item is optionally logged in this example (1306). An exampleof logging the encounter is to record encounter information such as theidentity of the item and the time and optionally the location that itwas detected. Another example of logging the encounter is to transmitencounter information, for example to a server via a network such as awireless network. In some embodiments, all encounters may be logged. Insome embodiments, only encounters with items on a watch list may belogged.

In some embodiments, a logged encounter may be deleted after aparticular time period such as two days has elapsed. In someembodiments, logged encounter data that is determined to be relevant maybe retained for longer than data that is not determined to be relevant.An example of determining that an encounter is relevant is if a crimewas committed in the vicinity of an encounter at a similar time (forexample, within an hour of the encounter). Another example ofdetermining that an encounter is relevant is if the encounter was anencounter with an item that is on the watch list, or is placed on awatch list before the encounter was to be deleted. Another example ofdetermining that an encounter is relevant is if a user manuallyclassifies an encounter as relevant, for example by determining that anencounter may be associated with an investigation.

In some embodiments, encounter data may be queried, for example toretrieve the license information of all cars detected within aparticular area during a particular time period. In some embodiments,queries of encounter data may be performed by law enforcement personnel,for example for use in correlating crimes to vehicles.

In some embodiments, a LAD may be combined with an identification sensorand used in a non-interactive mode. An example of using a LAD combinedwith an identification sensor in non-interactive mode is to use it tolog encounters (1306). In some embodiments, non-interactive logging mayinclude transmitting an encounter, for example via a wireless networksuch as GPRS. In some embodiments, non-interactive logging may includestoring an encounter for later transmission. Examples of the use ofnon-interactive logging include use in fixed location (non-mobile)installations, unmanned vehicles such as drones, and automobiles ownedby volunteer citizens.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of a method for varying functionality based onlocation according to some embodiments. In this example, functionalityis requested (1401). Requesting functionality may include any attempt touse a LAD, such as turning it on or attempting to access content orprograms. The current location of the device may be determined (1402). Aprimary area definition may be retrieved (1403). An example of a primaryarea definition is a region in which primary functionality may beprovided, for example any functionality whatsoever. If the currentlocation is within the primary area (1404), then primary functionalityis provided in this example (1405). An example of providing primaryfunctionality is to provide full functionality. Examples of providingfull functionality include allowing a location-aware safe to be openedand allowing a location-aware multimedia player to play restrictedcontent such as adult movies or songs with potentially obscene lyrics,and allowing a location-aware PocketPC to be used.

If the current location is not within the primary area (1404), thensecondary functionality is provided in this example (1406). One exampleof providing secondary functionality is not to provide anyfunctionality, or to provide severely limited functionality such asdisplaying an error message. Examples of providing no functionality orseverely limited functionality include not allowing a safe to be openedand not allowing a PocketPC to be operated. Another example of providingsecondary functionality is to provide restricted functionality, forexample allowing only PG-rated movies or songs without potentiallyobscene content to be played by a multimedia player. In someembodiments, a primary operational area may include an irregularlyshaped area, or multiple discontiguous areas. In some embodiments, theremay be more than two different operational areas associated withdifferent behaviors.

One example of an application of location-based functionality is aPocketPC used to take orders in a restaurant, which could contain asubroutine, for example inserted into its display driver, that can checkits current location and disable the device, for example by disablingits display, if it is more than a threshold distance such as one milefrom the location of the restaurant at which it has been programmed foruse.

Another example of an application of location-based functionality is ananti-theft safe that can open when the correct combination was entered,only if it was within a specific distance (for example, 100 meters) of aprimary location at which it was programmed to be opened. Suchanti-theft safes may for example be used in mobile commerce scenariossuch as taxis and armored cars, where items of value, such as cash, maybe inserted into the safe anywhere, but extractions can only be made, orcan be made at an unrestricted rate, after the safe is opened near itsprimary location. An example of setting a primary location for a devicesuch as a safe is pressing and holding a button in the interior of thedevice, for example a button labeled “HOME,” when it is in thatlocation, causing the current location to be stored as the location nearwhich it should subsequently provide primary functionality.

Another example of location-based functionality is for personal computersoftware containing encryption technology to use strong encryptiontechniques if operating on a computer within the United States, andweaker, export-legal encryption techniques if it was operating on acomputer outside the United States, based on its actual location.

Another example of location-based functionality is to authorize a devicecapable of playing or displaying media content to allow specific contentonly within certain areas (for example, within a circle with a radius often feet, centered at a specific location). For example, only children'scontent might be viewable in a child's bedroom, only films rated PG-13or below might be displayable in the living room without a parentalpassword, and adult content might be displayable only in the parents'bedroom. Such locations could, for example, be set by a user selecting aUI element titled “Allowed here” while at a location he or she wishes tocontrol, entering an administrative password, and selecting thecategories of allowed material for the current location. In thisexample, restrictions may for example be enforced when a request is madeto obtain a listing of the available material by checking to see if thecurrent location is within a controlled area, and if so, presenting onlycategories of material allowed in that location. In some embodiments,media playing software may check at regular intervals (for example,every ten seconds) to verify that its current location allows theplaying of the media type currently being played, and may pause or stopplayback if the content being played is not permitted in the currentlocation. In some embodiments, resumption of playback may be permittedif an administrative password is entered.

Although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detailfor purposes of clarity of understanding, the invention is not limitedto the details provided. There are many alternative ways of implementingthe invention. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative and notrestrictive.

1. A method for logging encountered items encountered by a mobiledevice, comprising: automatically detecting an item; wherein detectingthe item occurs in an uncontrolled environment; extracting an identity;wherein the identity is associated with the item; logging an encounter;wherein the encounter includes the identity; and deleting the encounterafter a predetermined period of time has elapsed, wherein the encounteris not marked as relevant.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the item isa license plate.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining whether the identity is contained in a watch list.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, further comprising alerting a user, if it isdetermined that the identity is contained in the watch list.
 5. Themethod of claim 3, further comprising transmitting an alert, if it isdetermined that the identity is contained on the watch list.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising marking an entry as relevant. 7.The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the item includes receivinginformation associated with an RFID tag.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein extracting the identity includes analyzing an image.